Julia Boyd received the best Christmas gift of her life last week — a home of her own.

Friends, family and Habitat for Humanity volunteers crowded into the living room of her new Madison Heights home for the Dec. 19 dedication ceremony.

“We get to celebrate the fruits of your labor and the wonderful experience Julia and her family will have moving into this house,” Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County Executive Director and CEO Tim Ruggles told the assembled crowd.

Advertisement

Boyd and her four children — Logan, Hailey, Alayna and Mason — will share the four bedroom, two bath house that has been rehabilitated with a new roof, concrete, insulation, plumbing, heating, electrical, cabinetry, windows, flooring and paint. Work on the home began in September and Boyd plans to move in in early January. Habitat was able to acquire the foreclosed home at a discounted price because of their relationships with financial institutions.

The dedication ceremony included Words of Encouragement, a Habitat tradition.

“I’ve watched my sister go through a lot in her life,” Kim Saberhegan, Boyd’s sister, said. “She is a person who definitely deserves something like this.”

“This is finally your time to be taken care of,” Habitat’s Family Support Coordinator Sierra Coley told Boyd. “You have worked so hard for this. I hope you are as proud of yourself as we are of you.”

“This is a blessing to me,” Boyd said. “Habitat is all about family partners and they make you feel welcome as a family.”

“It’s a dream come true and a stable environment for me and my kids, with lots of loving and memories to come — a brand new start for the New Year.”

This fall, Habitat of Oakland County began what Ruggles described as a unique partnership with Park West Galleries and its contract artist, Tim Yanke, whose studio is in Birmingham.

Yanke attended the dedication to personally present Boyd with a stretched, hand embellished, signed and beautifully framed limited edition giclee print of his rendition of the American flag from his “Yanke Doodle” series, a play on his surname.

This is the fourth time Yanke has donated a “Yanke Doodle” print to hang in a local Habitat for Humanity home.

“Especially at this time of year, it’s the least I can do — provide a splash of color in somebody’s life,” Yanke said. “It’s an honor to hang in people’s homes and means more than any gallery I’m hanging in.”

In the future, Yanke hopes to have a piece of his art hanging in every new Habitat home in Oakland County.

“To hang in homes means more to me than to be in museums,” he said.

Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County is part of a global partnership of millions of donors, homeowners, neighbors and volunteers all working together.

Habitat partners in the Boyd home were Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church in Lake Orion, First United Methodist Church of Birmingham, AutoTrader, and the Oakland County Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County has built and renovated homes for local families since 1996. Last week they dedicated the Boyd home and one other in Madison Heights, one in Oak Park, one in Ferndale and two in Pontiac.

To donate, volunteer or learn more, call 248-338-1843 or go online to habitatoakland.org.

“He created one of the pieces hanging after watching the MC Hammer show at Arts, Beats and Eats this summer,” said Kristen Lambert, registered art therapist at Common Ground’s Hendrie Crisis Residential Unit in Royal Oak, where Jones volunteers.

“Music is the driving force for him,” she said. “It reminds him of his family and is a comfort to him.”

“Now that my family has mostly passed, I draw the singers and songwriters who I feel closest to,” Jones said. “It’s almost like they are family.”

Both of Jones’ parents and his sister are deceased, and he is on his own with no close family.

Jones’ 15-piece solo exhibit will be on display to the public through Friday, Jan. 10, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at OCCMHA, 2011 Executive Hills Drive in Auburn Hills. The exhibit is free and Jones’ art is available for purchase.

Jones is the recipient of the Katie Serewicz Artist’s Scholarship from The Art Experience in Pontiac and is graduating from Common Ground’s Graduated Apartment Program this month.

Although he has searched diligently, Jones is still without a job.

“He’s a really talented young man who hasn’t had an easy life,” Lambert said. “He just needs a break.”

Lambert would be happy to put a prospective employer in touch with Jones. Call her at 248-202-1901. For general questions about the exhibit, call 248-858-1210.

Leader Dogs at Woman’s Club

Maureen Smith, special events coordinator for Leader Dogs for the Blind, will bring a puppy and its trainer when she speaks to the Royal Oak Woman’s Club at noon Monday, Jan. 6, at their historic clubhouse, 404 S. Pleasant St., in Royal Oak. A light lunch and short business meeting will proceed the speaker.

To attend, call Mary Lou Johnstone at 248-840-0660. Membership in the Royal Oak Woman’s Club is open to all women, regardless of where they reside.

Have news about your club, organization or interesting individuals in Southeast Oakland County you would like to share with the community? Email Jeanne Towar at jeanne.towar@gmail.com or call 248-890-8370.